1. We just watched the game of the year

1. We just watched the game of the year

Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun

I have a feeling that when a lot of us tell our kids and grandkids about watching the Ravens, this game will come up fairly quickly. We won't call it the greatest game in franchise history. That'd be awfully hard, considering that 11 months ago, Joe Flacco kept his team's Super Bowl run alive with a desperation heave in the waning seconds against the heavily favored Denver Broncos. But this one was just so outlandish, starting with the snow and ice and ending with an exchange of five go-ahead touchdowns in the last 2:07. That still sounded ridiculous as I typed it an hour after Marlon Brown caught Flacco's game-winning pass in the back of the end zone. You know what it reminds me of? That 1983 Orioles game when Tippy Martinez picked off three straight runners with Lenn Sakata playing catcher, and Sakata won the game with a home run in the next half inning. Now, the Orioles would've won the division without that game. But when I talk to fans or former players about 1983, it invariably comes up. There's nothing quite like delightful absurdity. Honestly, the Ravens have just about killed analysis for this season. They're flawed in all the same old ways, from the turnovers to the unreliable run blocking. With Miami winning on Sunday, they may yet fall short of the playoffs. Just consider that we now have this game, the Bengals game in which they bounced back from the last-second Hail Mary and the Mike Tomlin interference game from Thanksgiving night for our collective memory. A cynic might note that only a mediocre team would have gone down to the wire in each of those scenarios. But bury that impulse for now, dear reader. This has been tremendous theater.

I have a feeling that when a lot of us tell our kids and grandkids about watching the Ravens, this game will come up fairly quickly. We won't call it the greatest game in franchise history. That'd be awfully hard, considering that 11 months ago, Joe Flacco kept his team's Super Bowl run alive with a desperation heave in the waning seconds against the heavily favored Denver Broncos. But this one was just so outlandish, starting with the snow and ice and ending with an exchange of five go-ahead touchdowns in the last 2:07. That still sounded ridiculous as I typed it an hour after Marlon Brown caught Flacco's game-winning pass in the back of the end zone. You know what it reminds me of? That 1983 Orioles game when Tippy Martinez picked off three straight runners with Lenn Sakata playing catcher, and Sakata won the game with a home run in the next half inning. Now, the Orioles would've won the division without that game. But when I talk to fans or former players about 1983, it invariably comes up. There's nothing quite like delightful absurdity. Honestly, the Ravens have just about killed analysis for this season. They're flawed in all the same old ways, from the turnovers to the unreliable run blocking. With Miami winning on Sunday, they may yet fall short of the playoffs. Just consider that we now have this game, the Bengals game in which they bounced back from the last-second Hail Mary and the Mike Tomlin interference game from Thanksgiving night for our collective memory. A cynic might note that only a mediocre team would have gone down to the wire in each of those scenarios. But bury that impulse for now, dear reader. This has been tremendous theater. (Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun)

I have a feeling that when a lot of us tell our kids and grandkids about watching the Ravens, this game will come up fairly quickly. We won't call it the greatest game in franchise history. That'd be awfully hard, considering that 11 months ago, Joe Flacco kept his team's Super Bowl run alive with a desperation heave in the waning seconds against the heavily favored Denver Broncos. But this one was just so outlandish, starting with the snow and ice and ending with an exchange of five go-ahead touchdowns in the last 2:07. That still sounded ridiculous as I typed it an hour after Marlon Brown caught Flacco's game-winning pass in the back of the end zone. You know what it reminds me of? That 1983 Orioles game when Tippy Martinez picked off three straight runners with Lenn Sakata playing catcher, and Sakata won the game with a home run in the next half inning. Now, the Orioles would've won the division without that game. But when I talk to fans or former players about 1983, it invariably comes up. There's nothing quite like delightful absurdity. Honestly, the Ravens have just about killed analysis for this season. They're flawed in all the same old ways, from the turnovers to the unreliable run blocking. With Miami winning on Sunday, they may yet fall short of the playoffs. Just consider that we now have this game, the Bengals game in which they bounced back from the last-second Hail Mary and the Mike Tomlin interference game from Thanksgiving night for our collective memory. A cynic might note that only a mediocre team would have gone down to the wire in each of those scenarios. But bury that impulse for now, dear reader. This has been tremendous theater.